Chosen by Fate
by The acctual Mrs. Ron Weasley
Summary: The story of Astoria and Draco Malfoy. A child will be conceived eventually so I'm rating it T.
1. In The Beginning

Draco POV

Draco had first laid eyes on Astoria Greengrass when he was in his second year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had watched her being sorted into Slytherin, vaguely remembering that Daphne Greengrass was her sister and in his year. The first time he really noticed her though, was when he had accidently bumped into her in the hallway. He'd been walking with Pansy Parkinson and had been paying poor attention to his surroundings. He had clipped his shoulder with hers and she'd dropped all her books on the floor. He'd muttered an apology; those who knew him would have found that alone odd, normally he would have added insult to the injury somehow.

"You should be," she said, sounding somewhat annoyed as she picked up her books. Draco had been taken aback, nobody talked to _him_ that way, especially not a third year Slytherin. She had even done it without flinching, as if he were no one special. When he'd asked Pansy who she was, Pansy had looked confused, as if she couldn't understand why in the world he would care.

"Daphne Greengrass's little sister, Astoria. She's only in third year though," she said almost accusingly. Draco nodded oblivious, still intrigued by the only girl who had truly seemed to have the backbone to stand up to him at all.

Astoria POV

When Astoria first saw Draco Malfoy she was extremely intrigued by his appearance. She'd never seen anyone who looked so different look so confident with himself. He may have looked a little smug but she also saw a good confidence in him too. When she'd asked her sister about him Daphne had rolled her eyes and said that she shouldn't even bother trying to talk to him. Three years at Hogwart's had passed and Astoria had all but forgotten about Draco. She'd been walking down the hall, keeping to herself, when somebody ran into the side of her causing all of her books to fall on the ground. She looked up as she bent down to pick up her books and saw that it was Draco Malfoy; he muttered a simple apology but kept walking.

"You should be," Astoria called after him, annoyed. As she gathered her books and walked on to class she smiled to herself, he hadn't looked so smug then.

That year was the Triwizard Tournament and the Yule Ball. Astoria hadn't been all that disappointed when she wasn't able to go to the Yule Ball, dancing was never her favourite thing to do; so the night of the ball she sat in the Common Room and read a book. Although she hadn't planned for it to happen, Draco entered the Room at the exact moment Astoria looked up from her book. She was shocked to find him looking handsome despite the garish dress robe. They locked eyes for less than a second but Astoria blushed all the same. After he had left, she felt stupid for thinking such things about Draco Malfoy, but at that moment something altogether strange and wonderful had begun in the dungeons of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Draco POV

For the Yule Ball, Draco's father had sent him the best dress robes money could buy. He had also gotten himself a worthy date, Pansy Parkinson. Yet although he had all this, he looked in the mirror and didn't feel good enough. He always felt that way as if no one would ever be pleased with him. Draco had learned from an early age to always seem proud and confident no matter how you were truly feeling. He used this trick as he entered the Common Room. He met Pansy there, though he barely acknowledged her. He noticed a girl looking at him and they met eyes, and though she looked away almost instantly he knew it was Astoria. He had expected disgust but all he'd seen in her eyes was curiosity.

From that day forward Draco kept his eye out for Astoria. She was different than any other girl he'd met in Slytherin; she didn't approve of the Dark Arts and didn't talk to people who were well known to be involved in them. Despite this Draco was still interested in her, although he never spoke to her directly and never talked to anyone else about her. Even when his life became consumed by the Dark Arts, Astoria was always in the back of his mind; he would wonder if she was all right.

During the Battle of Hogwart's he took it upon himself to make sure she wasn't in danger at all. He found her duelling Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf was almost upon her when Draco arrived.

"Stupefy." He said quietly as to not draw attention to himself. Greyback flew backwards into the wall and Draco dragged Astoria out of the castle. She looked him right in the eyes and he looked back at her and told her to go to the Hog's Head. It pained him to do so but he left her there and ran back into the castle. After the Battle of Hogwart's never saw Astoria again until one fateful day.

Astoria POV

After the Yule Ball, Astoria never really saw Draco anymore. She had realised that he was interested in the Dark Arts; she also found that being in Slytherin had its benefits, as she could find out almost anything she wanted about the Dark Arts, and more specifically Draco, without question. She was worried about him as he went into a downward spiral towards the Dark Arts, although she told herself she had no business worrying over him. Things changed in her sixth year though, when Draco didn't come to school. She worried herself ragged over him; it was the worst time of her life as she became depressed the world around her was falling apart along with her insides. Things reached a breaking point when days before the Battle of Hogwart's Astoria received an owl informing her that the only friend she had ever made at Hogwart's, who was a Muggle-born, had been killed by Fenrir Greyback. When the Battle of Hogwart's came Astoria stayed to try to avenge her friend. She realized how stupid she had been when the werewolf cornered her. She was sure she would die when Draco Malfoy appeared. He stupefied Greyback and grabbed Astoria, dragging her outside of the castle. As he let go of her wrist, Astoria sought out his eyes. As she met his gaze, he looked distraught and torn. She wanted to touch his face, let him know she was alright, but she didn't get the chance.

"Go to the Hog's Head, you can go home that way." Draco said to her earnestly, and ran back inside the castle. Astoria thought about running after him but thought better of it. She went to the Hog's Head, took one last look at Hogwart's, thought of Draco Malfoy and went home. She wouldn't see him again for a long time.

After the Battle of Hogwart's, Astoria went back to Hogwart's and tried to forget about Draco Malfoy. She had been top honours in her year for N.E.W.T.s and met many important people during her last year there. One of which was Mr. Ollivander. The history of wandmaking interested her and she longed to see a wand made. It was merely coincidence that she ran into Mr. Ollivander that day. She discussed her interest in wands with him and he offered to have her come in and help him in his store. The next year she was employed in his store, learning the trade of wandmaking from Mr. Ollivander. Her first day of manning the store all by herself came several weeks after the new school year had started. She had just started to wonder if anyone was going to come at all, when Draco Malfoy walked into the store. Her jaw dropped for a fraction of a second when she caught herself.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked avoiding his gaze, knowing if he saw her eyes it would give her away.

"I was looking to get a new wand," he said distractedly pulling at a thread in his robe. She looked at him. He looked healthy but like he wasn't getting enough sleep. He looked back up before she could look away. Draco's expression changed to astonished and even a little excited.

"Astoria?" he said. She blushed and pushed her hair away from her face looking at her feet.

"Uh, yah, I'll go grab some wands for you to try out." She said trying to get out of there.

Draco POV

Draco watched Astoria walk into the back of the store. He hadn't seen her for two years, and he had thought he would never see her again. She looked good, he thought to himself. Better than he did, but that was probably because she could get to sleep at night. In fact during his sleepless nights he often found that his mind would wander to thoughts of her. He saw her walk to a shelf closer to him. He studied the side of her face. She'd cut her hair very short, up to her ears, which was most likely why he hadn't recognized her at first. Her hair was light brown and when the light hit it right you could see blonde highlights in it. He smiled as she looked at him and blushed.

Astoria POV

Astoria felt her cheeks burn red when she could Draco looking at her. She nearly ran into the back of the store, it took all her will power not to run out into the alley through the back door. Her eyes looked up at a random wand: Oak, dragon heartstring, 10 inches. She thought about it for a moment and grabbed it. She had five wands in her arms; she couldn't stall any longer. Astoria closed her eyes for a moment and walked steadily back towards the front of the store, her eyes on her feet. She handed him one of the wands. He tried it out but nothing happened.

"Nope," Astoria said snatching it out of Draco's hand. Draco smirked as she struggled to put it away in its box. She handed him another one. It was the one she had thought would suit him the best: Ebony, unicorn hair, 13 inches. He waved it around and a vase exploded. Astoria laughed in spite of herself; wands sure do choose their own owner. She pulled out her own wand: Cherry, phoenix feather, 9 inches.

"Repairo," she said as the shards of glass came together to become the vase again. She put the reject wand away and decided to give Draco the wand she had randomly selected. She handed it to Draco; he looked at her slightly bemused because it obviously wasn't what he was expecting. He tried out a spell and it worked perfectly. Astoria smiled to herself, she loved when she got it right just from a random pick.

"That's oak, with a dragon heartstring core and its 10 inches." Astoria told him while packing up the other wands.

"Are you so sure this is the one?" Draco asked playfully.

"Positive," she answered back. She smiled at him and he smiled back. He bought the wand and walked out of the store. Astoria sighed to herself and began to put away the wands when the door opened again. It was Draco and Astoria felt herself smile.

"When do you get off work?" Draco asked with a timid grin. Astoria looked at her watch.

"Actually, in about ten minutes, but I don't think I'll be getting anyone else in here." She said.  
>"Well how about I buy you dinner at the Leaky Cauldron?" Draco asked her hopefully.<p>

"Alright, just let me close up first alright?" Astoria said a little shaky. She grabbed the wands and literally ran to the back to put them away. She was pretty sure she had put one away wrong but she didn't care at that point. She ran in the back grabbed her coat and keys. She locked the back door and turned off the lights in the back room. She ran slightly slower towards the front. She smiled at Draco and opened the door for him to leave. She turned the lights off and locked the door behind her, her pulse racing.


	2. A Change in them Both

Draco POV

Astoria was quiet while they walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. Draco smiled to himself. He'd always felt a little uncomfortable starting a conversation with a woman but several years apart had made for easy conversation starters.

"What brought you to being a wand-maker?" Draco asked Astoria curiously.

"A short conversation with Mr. Ollivander in my last year of Hogwart's actually. I started studying with him right after I finished school. He needed someone to pass the trade onto, and I wanted to learn, so it worked out perfectly." Astoria told him with a slight smile. He found himself waiting to see her small smiles that could come quite suddenly.

"What have you been up to?" Astoria asked Draco as the two walked through the door of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that, you know. Nothing really important," he answered, without looking at her. He didn't want her judgment of him to change if she knew what had happened to him after the Battle of Hogwart's. Draco led Astoria to a table far in the back of the pub, where there were few people sitting. As they were walking Draco felt the glares of the patrons at the Leaky Cauldron. He had come to expect this treatment from most people but it still burned him when it happened. He felt Astoria stiffen as she noticed the staring. Draco had changed after the Battle of Hogwart's; he would have held his high and stared down these people but now he cringed and hurried towards the table.

Astoria POV

Astoria felt uncomfortable as the people in the Leaky Cauldron stared at Draco. Her heart fell as she saw Draco cringe and head to the deserted table in the back. What gave these people the right to do this to Draco, she knew how his past had soiled his reputation in the wizarding world but couldn't they see he was a changed man as he cringed from the smallest glance towards him. When they reached their table Draco held out the chair for Astoria, which made her blush in spite of herself. She saw that this made Draco smile. When Draco was seated across from Astoria, she reached out and touched his hand. She felt him flinch from her touch but he didn't pull away. She gave him a kind look and hoped he understood that she was trying to tell him to ignore these people. He smiled at her, then pulled his hand away and looked at his lap. To see him like this pained her, although she was glad she wasn't seeing the "high and mighty" Draco she had seen at school; this defeated and broken Draco was an odd creature and she couldn't help but watch him as he squirmed in his seat trying to ignore the looks slowly starting to trickle away. As the stout waitress came to their table and took their order; Astoria looked at Draco with increasing curiosity. Although he had cringed when he had first come into the pub, he was able to hold his head high when talking to the waitress. The waitress walked away and Astoria looked at Draco's face curiously.

"What?" Draco asked her almost accusingly.

"Nothing," Astoria answered smiling and looking down. There was an awkward moment of silence while the both of them tried to find something to say. They both spoke at the same time and Astoria laughed an unguarded, full laugh. She saw Draco smile at her and gestured with his hand for her to go first.

Draco POV

Draco smiled at the beautiful laugh that Astoria laughed when they had spoken at the same time. It was the first time in a long time he had heard someone laugh with so much enthusiasm and unabashed self-assurance. He motioned for her to continue. As she spoke he watched her talk; mesmerized with the woman that Astoria had become. When they had gone to Hogwart's together he had always thought of her as a little girl, even though she had only been a year younger than him. Her green eyes were captivating and he often found himself staring at them for longer than normally acceptable. If Astoria had noticed she didn't show it. The conversation had become easier once the food and drink had come to their table. Draco learned about the past two years of her life, about how her and her family had had a falling out and she regretted it, and how she had only had one serious boyfriend outside of Hogwart's.

"We didn't really fit that well and fought all the time, but I needed his company because I had no one else to look to." She explained to him with sad eyes.

"Did you ever think of trying to reconcile with your family?" Draco asked tentatively.

"They don't want to, I've tried many times," she said trying to hide the tears that he could see coming. He felt bad for having brought up such a topic.

"I'm sorry; we don't have to talk about it." He told her, touching her hand like she had when they had come to the pub. He wanted her to know that he was there for her, even though he had only just re-entered her life. Astoria smiled at him, one tear falling down her cheek. Draco reached up his hand and went to brush it off her face, but Astoria cringed away at his touch. Draco was confused, she had seemed quite open to him touching her before now. He looked at her curiously and she went red.

Astoria POV

When Draco went to touch her face Astoria's face she was suddenly showered with the awful memories of her past and she cringed away from them. She had never told anyone. She didn't want people to pity her; it was her greatest regret to have shown so much weakness. She saw him looking at her and she blushed, embarrassed for letting herself show Draco that weakness. She cleared her throat.

"Well, thank you for dinner, Draco." She said smiling, but she felt tenser than she had before. She didn't want to but the old memories had made her scared. Draco looked slightly puzzled but smiled back, more warmly than her, and stood up.

"Where do you live? I can take you home," Draco offered. Astoria bit her lip, no man had ever been to her new home and that had been she had wanted it to stay. 'But that was before Draco Malfoy strolled back into my life,' Astoria thought. She grinned a little more genuinely than before.

"I'll show you,"


	3. Her Heart on the Page

Draco POV

Draco followed this curious creature through the street in Diagon Alley. He stared at her back and was suddenly reminded of a memory he had of her in Hogwart's...

_Draco was sitting against a tree in the grounds of Hogwart's close to the lake. He was lounging not caring about homework or his so-called 'friends'; it was one of the few times he ever felt at peace when he was away from all the people in the castle and could leave all thoughts of his life. He stared at the water in the lake rippling when he heard a laugh; upset about having his quiet time interrupted he scowled looking in the direction of the laughter. The scowl melted away when he saw that it was Astoria. She was sitting with one of her few friends. Draco found he was unable to look away at the smiling Astoria's face. He sat watching them talk until they got up to leave. The lasting memory for him would be of the long, brown hair that swung behind her as she walked away..._

Draco wondered what had caused Astoria to want to cut off her beautiful hair. He decided from the way they had left the pub that it would be wise to leave the question for another time. He followed her to the apartment built above the Apothecary.

"Interesting place to live," Draco said to Astoria. She grinned and nodded, while leading Draco up the steps to the door of her apartment. She opened the door and stood aside for Draco to go in first. He smiled at her and entered the flat.

Astoria POV

She watched Draco walk into her home, silently. She was worried he would reject it, as he was used to an extravagant living at Hogwart's and Malfoy Manor. But she relieved as he smiled at her after looking around.

"I like it, reminds me of that feeling of being home," he said warmly. Astoria blushed but was pleased.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked him, moving towards the kitchen.

"Tea would be good," he said sitting down on Astoria's small couch, looking at the collection of books she kept on her coffee table. Astoria started a fire in the mantel with her wand and put the tea kettle on. Feeling slightly impatient and ignoring her mother's belief of only Muggle made tea, she sped up the kettle with her wand until it whistled. Not trusting her shaking hands, she also used her wand to pour the tea into the mugs and brought them out to the coffee table. Draco smiled as he took the mug of tea. He was now looking at the family portrait that she had on the coffee table. She saw her family in the frame as they had once been, loving and encouraging. Her father would touch her shoulder, her mother would kiss the top of her head, and her sister would put her arm around her waist. She sighed, longing for that time even more, when she had had three amazingly close friends in her family. But she had cried all the tears she could for her family and nothing would bring them to her again. Draco seemed to notice the sadness that engulfed her whenever she looked at the family portrait.

"So, what do you do for fun, when you're not reading a million books?" he asked teasingly as he placed the portrait face down on the coffee table.

"Not much, sometimes I help out in the Apothecary." She answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you see your friends often?" he asked her gesturing to the pictures on the wall. Astoria sighed again. She looked at the picture on her wall of her and her two friends from Hogwart's after their fifth year, looking happy and unaware of what was to come.

"Gillian was killed during the war. Diana and I were still close but after I started date... after I fell out with my family I lost touch with her too. I haven't made any real friends after Hogwart's." Astoria said.

Draco POV

He knew that her losing touch with her friend had nothing to do with her family. He curious about this allusive boyfriend she tried to avoid talking about.

"What about your boyfriend?" he asked her. Draco could tell he had asked the wrong question and she shut up like a clam. She stood up and took his empty mug to the kitchen along with her own. When she came back she stood by the fireplace for a moment.

"It's getting late," she announced to him. Draco nodded and stood up.

"I should get going then," he said, moving towards the door. He turned around and she had come closer, close enough he could have touched her face. He had a very strong urge to do so as he saw a faint look of longing in her eyes, but he didn't want to frighten her like he had in the Leaky Cauldron.

"It was really good to see you again," he said to her, deciding to touch her wrist instead. She held his fingers for what seemed like a fraction of a second and let go.

"It really was," she said sincerely and smiled at him. Draco longed to touch her again but restrained himself and walked out the door into the night outside. He realized as he walked down the steps that he must love that curious creature in some way or another because he couldn't get her face out of his mind.

Astoria POV

Astoria felt like crying again as soon as Draco had walked out of her flat. She felt very alone again, like there was no one there to protect her from her thoughts. Seeing Draco again had been wonderful but he had brought on so many awful memories; her family, Gillian and Diana, and the worst memory of all. Those memories, though, were overshadowed when she thought of his face and she smiled to herself as she looked at fire dying in the mantel. For the first time in a long time though she would be able to fall asleep peacefully tonight.

The next day at work Mr. Ollivander was back and she stayed in the back of the store, caring for the wands. Last night had held a very peaceful night of sleep and for the first time in a long time Astoria hadn't had a nightmare. She found herself humming as she polished wands and placed them in their boxes. When she moved up closer to the front of the store to place some of the wands on the shelves she saw Mr. Ollivander looking at her curiously. She realized she hadn't stopped humming to herself and stopped abruptly. Mr. Ollivander moved closer towards her.

"My dear, you seem in quite good spirits today." He stated, but Astoria knew it was really a question; she was hardly ever this cheerful. She smiled at Mr. Ollivander.

"I suppose manning the store all by myself must have been a good experience," she said going to move on to the next shelf, but Mr. Ollivander stopped her.

"That would never make you this lively, Astoria." He said quite seriously, although his shone with curiosity. She grinned shyly to her feet.

"I saw an old friend yesterday." She said turning around meaning to leave it at that. But Mr. Ollivander followed her and she sighed exasperatedly.

"Who was it? I know most everyone who comes to my shop, you know." He said a matter-of-factly. Astoria shook her head.

"Mr. Ollivander, with all due respect he was my friend from the past and that's all you need to know," she said to the old man. He smiled at her but looked slightly disappointed. As he walked away, Astoria couldn't help but think of him affectionately, as he really was just trying to look out for her.

Draco POV

When Draco awoke that morning he smiled. He had dreamed of her that night, of her when they were at Hogwart's but also of the woman he had seen last night. As Draco stumbled down to the extravagant dining hall for breakfast with his mother, he thought of how Astoria must already be at work. She would be staring at those shelves with the inquisitive look she had had when she picked out the wands for him to try. As he sat down at the place with breakfast already served, he looked across the table at his mother. She looked so old, and tired. Draco knew she longed for company, as he was always out at work and tried to spend as little time at the Manor as he could. It was not because he did not love his mother, but he would always be reminded of the terrible things that had occurred within its rooms and halls. He smiled at his mother as he tucked into breakfast.

"How was your day yesterday, dear?" his mother asked him kindly.

"Good, I saw an old friend last night," he told her. Mrs. Malfoy looked slightly confused, Draco understood. He hadn't had many friends that she didn't know of.

"Oh, and who was that?"

"Astoria Greengrass,"

"I wasn't aware that you were friends with her. I heard she disgraced her family, although how I do not know,"

"That couldn't possibly be true," Draco snapped at his mother. She looked taken aback; Draco never raised his voice at her. He felt ashamed at doing so and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think she is capable of doing anything to disgrace her family; she loves them very much." He said apologetically to Mrs. Malfoy. She nodded and went back to her breakfast. Their conversation was bare and awkward afterwards. Draco sensed his mother did not approve of Astoria and this angered him; how could she judge her when she didn't even know the truth, didn't even know Astoria? He knew it wasn't his mother's fault; this was just the way she was. He rose from the table.

"I have to be going, Mother." He said to her; she nodded. He walked towards her and kissed her cheek. This was their routine every morning but after their conversation today it seemed like it had been forced. Draco regretted this, and took his mother's hand for a moment and smiled at her, hoping she understood he was sorry. She seemed to as he patted his hand and smiled back.

As Draco gathered his things for work and stepped into the fireplace to travel using Floo Powder, he began to wonder if he could come up with an excuse to see Astoria again that night.

Astoria POV

Astoria walked home for lunch that day. Normally she would have eaten it with Mr. Ollivander or gone to the Leaky Cauldron but something had made her want to go home. She opened the door to apartment and was greeted by a beautiful, tawny screech owl. Astoria's heart fluttered at the thought of whom this owl could belong to and from whom the letter could be. She took the letter from the owl and stroked its pretty head. She saw the Malfoy Crest on the letter and she felt her stomach flip. She hesitated before opening, and then opened it greedily.

_Dear Astoria,_

_I hope I am not breaking some grand old tradition by writing to you so soon after we saw each other again, but to be perfectly honest you have been on my mind since we parted last night. I was hoping that maybe you might wish to come to my home for dinner tonight with Mother and me. I know it seems like an odd request but I wish for my mother to meet you. I hope you come, please send a response by mail so I can inform the staff if we will be having another place at dinner tonight._

_Yours,_

_Draco Malfoy _

Astoria smiled as she read the letter and blushed when she read that she had been on his mind. Draco seemed oddly formal in his writing but he had also been very forward; telling her she had been in his thoughts and inviting her to dinner with his mother. He had even closed the letter with _yours_. She knew of course she would say yes, no matter how many excuses she tried to make about not going, she would not be able to resist. She set to work writing her response letter to Draco, putting a great deal of thought into what she would say to him. She sealed the letter and tied it to the owl's leg and it flew off out the open window. Astoria sighed and watched the owl fade into the distance, with her heart on the page tied to its leg, towards Draco Malfoy.


	4. Meeting His Mother

Draco POV

Draco held the letter in his hands tenderly. He was scared to open it, fearing rejection. Carefully, he opened the letter and began to read.

_Draco,_

_You can imagine my surprise today when opening the door to the flat and seeing your beautiful owl sitting on my table. I must say what a match the two of you must be, for he seemed to have the same characteristics as you do. _

_It would be an honour to come to your home for dinner, and I quite look forward to meeting your mother. I fear I might be more underdressed then you are used to, as I do not know what one wears to a home such as yours which I've heard is very grand. I look forward to our dinner together._

_Astoria_

_P.S. To be quite honest you have not left my thoughts either._

Draco felt quite exhilarated after reading the letter, feeling quite anxious to see Astoria again. He hurried to tell the staff of the guest for dinner and then prepared himself to tell his mother.

"Mother," Draco announced himself as he entered the parlour where his mother was seated, reading the Daily Prophet. She seemed surprised to see him.

"You are home early, dear." Mrs. Malfoy said, looking taken aback, yet pleased.

"Yes, there wasn't much to do at the office so I came home. Also, I have invited my friend over for dinner; remember the one we were discussing over breakfast?"

"Astoria Greengrass," she stated looking quite serious. Draco nodded.

"Well, I suppose that will be all right," Mrs. Malfoy said stiffly.

"Thank you, Mother," Draco said, kissing her cheek and leaving the room.

Draco began to wonder what he would see Astoria wearing when she came. The sad thing was Draco had had almost no women over to his house and she probably thought she had a lot to live up to when in fact the opposite was true. He was also sure that whatever she wore, she would look simply amazing.

Astoria POV

Astoria had not been able to pay attention at all when she had gotten back to work. Mr. Ollivander must have noticed it but he did not mention it. In the end, he even sent her home early, saying her head was in the clouds and she was of no use to him, winking as he did so. This only gave her more time to worry over what she would wear to the elusive Malfoy Manor. She considered going to Madam Malkin's and a Muggle shop she was quite fond of, but in the end settled on a modest dress which was a calm, rose colour. She still had an hour left until she would apparate to dinner, so she decided she would do something that always calmed her down. She pulled out her copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. Whenever she felt nervous or scared, Astoria would read the stories of her childhood. They calmed her and she would remember sitting in bed as a young girl with Daphne, her sister, in the bed beside her, listening to their father tell them the stories. Her favourite had always been "The Fountain of Fair Fortune"; she remembered being a young girl hearing the story wishing she could go to the fountain and meet her true love, like the witch Amata. She had once told her mother this wish of her young heart. Mrs. Greengrass had smiled at her young daughter and told her she would not need the fountain to find her true love; she would find him herself.

Astoria looked at the clock and realized she had become so engrossed in the stories that the time had passed quickly and it was time for her to leave. She summoned up all her courage, and apparated. She opened her eyes and looked at the awesome sight of Malfoy Manor. She realized now that perhaps this would be her journey for the fountain and that perhaps Draco could give her fair fortune. She blushed at the childish thought, she knew that there would be no such thing for her; she had ruined her chance a long time ago. Taking a deep breath, she strode forward towards the Manor.

Draco POV

Draco heard the loud bang of the knocker on the door. He tried his best to compose himself, trying not to run to the door has he had when he was a young boy, expecting his father home. He knew this was not his father, but someone much more important in his life now. He knew his father would never come home now; he and his mother had come to grips with this fact and Draco was doing his best to improve both their lives. Perhaps Astoria could even become part of their lives, Draco thought as he opened the door to the Manor. He was relieved to see Astoria standing there looking as nervous as he felt. Yet she somehow still managed to look beautiful and composed, while Draco was sure he did not look anywhere near that collected. She smiled at Draco nervously and he took her hand and led her into his home. When they had entered the foyer, Draco placed her hand in the crook of his arm and led her towards the parlour where his mother was waiting for them.

"How are you?" he asked her as they walked through the halls.

"I'm good now that I no longer have to worry about if I'm over dressed," she said smiling at him. Draco chuckled, he quite liked what she had worn, he had worn a charcoal grey suit and her rose dress seemed to compliment it perfectly.

"You seem to be good at guessing the dress code," Draco teased. They came to the door of the parlour, Draco took a deep breath, and he felt Astoria grow tense beside him. How strange this was considering he was not 'with' this woman beside him yet his mother's opinion of her mattered immensely to him. He tried to give a convincing smile to Astoria but he felt it became more of a grimace. She seemed to find this funny and laughed, hugging his arm against her in encouragement.

Astoria POV

Draco seemed so nervous about Astoria meeting his mother, yet she felt at ease. Mrs. Malfoy and her own mother were from the same world, she would know how to please this woman. It was strange to her how close she felt with Draco and they had only reconnected the night before. She no longer knew if she could be part of a romantic relationship, which she could sense Draco wanted. Astoria supposed they would both make do with a friendship until she could manage her cowardice.

They entered the parlour and Astoria saw a woman sitting on a chaise. She was surprised, this was not the Mrs. Malfoy that she had heard so much about; the woman with the reputation most feared. The woman she saw before her was small and looked weak. However, more than anything, this woman looked lonely. Astoria wondered how Draco could let this happen to who was one of the most powerful women in the Wizarding World. Perhaps her involvement with the Dark Arts had come back to haunt her but Astoria didn't believe she deserved to go through it alone as Draco was letting happen to his mother. She suddenly felt irritated with Draco, and she felt she needed to compensate for him.

"Mrs. Malfoy, it is wonderful to meet you," Astoria said, letting go of Draco's arm and rushing forward to take the woman's hand. She seemed startled by the suddenness of Astoria's entrance but recovered quite quickly. She nodded politely to Astoria, and then gestured for her to sit down in the couch across from her. As Astoria did so, Draco sat beside her.

"I was quite amazed you agreed to come at all, Draco doesn't seem to have very many young women in his company these days," Draco's mother said looking interestedly at her. Astoria blushed, embarrassed and she felt Draco stiffen beside her and heard him mutter something about not having the time for that sort of thing.

"You also don't seem to have much time for your mother either, do you Draco?" Mrs. Malfoy asked looking quite unsympathetic towards him.

"You have such a beautiful home," Astoria said, desperate to change the subject even though she had wanted to accuse Draco of the same thing only a moment ago.

"Why thank you dear, it has been in the family for years..." Astoria listened to Mrs. Malfoy talk about her home quite animatedly. She "hmm"ed and "hah"ed at all the correct moments and believed she was making a very good impression on Draco's mother.

Draco POV

As he watched Astoria talk to his mother, Draco began to wind down. She was doing an exceptionally good job, better than his father's friends had in the past. He stayed quiet, commenting occasionally. Astoria had gotten his mother on her favourite subject: the Manor. Just as his mother started to talk about the immense history behind it, a house elf entered the room timidly, to announce that dinner was ready to be served. Draco stood up and realized he had to make an important decision: did he take his mother's arm or Astoria's into the dining room? He was not used to feeling so anxious around anyone, let alone a woman. Draco took his mother's arm, deciding it could simply be explained as force of habit. Astoria followed him quite closely; he noticed her looking fascinated with the rooms they passed. Draco decided she would get a tour after dinner. He walked into the large dining room and tried not to be reminded of the awful things that had occurred there. He realized how awkward it would be for the three of them to sit at the giant table in the giant room. If only his mother wasn't so old-fashioned. He sat his mother down at her usual spot at the end of the table and then took Astoria's hand and led her to the chair beside his normal spot. She smiled warmly at him as she sat down.

"What a magnificent room, Mrs. Malfoy," she said to Draco's mother. The old woman smiled at her, but did not respond. Draco saw that his mother looked far away and was worried she might have one of her rare episodes that scared him so much.

"Mother, are you alright?" he asked her anxiously. She seemed to snap out of the daze hearing Draco's voice.

"Of course, dear" she said, with a tight smile. Draco knew she would be upset with herself for letting someone see her like that.

Dinner went well. The conversation didn't slow and he had even made Astoria laugh. Draco had looked at his mother throughout and had even seen a smile flitter across her face. When dinner had ended his mother had excused herself and said a goodbye to Astoria, saying she had enjoyed her company very much and wanted to see her again in this very soon. Astoria had looked slightly terrified but had smiled and said she felt the same way.

"Would you like a tour of the manor?" Draco asked hesitantly. Astoria beamed up at him.

"I would love one."

Astoria POV

As Draco showed her around each room, Astoria began to sense which ones had seen terrible things. He would bristle as they entered and would give a small description of the room. He wouldn't walk around with her or answer questions very effectively. She soon stopped exploring the rooms and areas he didn't enjoy being in. For a short moment, she wondered if he would show her his bedroom; what it would look like. Astoria stopped herself, the last time she had been in a man's bedroom she had experienced terrible things and didn't want to remember it. Draco was smiling at her with an inquisitive look and Astoria was glad for the distraction from her thoughts.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Would you like to see the garden? I know it's dark out but I could get some light," he said awaiting her answer. She could see he really wanted her to go out and it had intrigued her. She couldn't say no.

"I would love to." She replied. Draco led her out the door to the garden and waved his wand. It was as if a thousand fairies had been waiting for them. She looked up at Draco in disbelief.

"You planned this," she said questioningly.

"Maybe," he replied pulling Astoria along. She tried to take in the sights as he pulled her along.

"Was that a white peacock?" she asked in disbelief. Draco chuckled and continued guiding her. They finally stopped and Draco stood still, Astoria turned and saw what he brought her to. It was a fountain.


End file.
